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| Five Players To Watch This Season |
| By: Ian Kenyon |
| August 13, 2010 |
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Shareece Wright - CB, USC |
Each year there are players who have to sit out a season whether from injury, transfer, illness, or breaking the law. We're going to take a look at a few of the more intriguing 2011 NFL Draft prospects who either didn't play or saw limited action during the 2009 season. We suggest you keep an eye out on the following players this year:
Shareece Wright (CB, USC) - Wright has seen his fair share of problems over the past two years. He missed part of the 2008 season due to a hairline fracture in his neck. In March 2009 he was cited for resisting arrest at a party and then a few months later he was declared academically ineligible for the 2009 season. However, his talent is hard to ignore. He has prototypical size and speed for an NFL corner and should be USC's #1 corner this season. For a player who hasn't been on the field much, he plays with great technique and locates the ball extremely well. With a good senior season he has the potential to work his way into the first round.
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Phelon Jones
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Phelon Jones (CB, Alabama) - A transfer from LSU, Jones was rated the #13 cornerback in the country coming out of high school by scout.com and played well during his redshirt freshman season at LSU but decided to transfer to Alabama because he felt he'd get more playing time. Well, he was right in his decision. After losing both Javier Arenas and Kareem Jackson to the NFL Draft, Jones is now the top cornerback on the Crimson Tide roster. He has all the physical tools to succeed and will now have the playing time to prove himself as one of the top corners in all of college football.
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Mark Herzlich
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Mark Herzlich (LB, Boston College) - Most people will recognize Herzlich from being on the cover of ESPN the Magazine last month, but draft fans should have known his name well before that. Had Herzlich entered the 2009 NFL Draft, he would have likely been a first or second round pick. However, he decided to come back for his senior year and was tragically struck with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He has since defeated the cancer and has found his way back onto the football field. An intense player with a ton of heart, Herzlich is a hard guy not to like. He was the 2008 ACC Player of the year and if he's kept himself in top physical shape, he should be in consideration for the Lombardi award this year.
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Sam McGuffie
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Sam McGuffie (RB, Rice) - The heralded high school recruit had committed to Michigan but transferred to Rice after his freshman season to be closer to home. He is known for his unbelievable leaping ability with a reported vertical of 43 inches. To give you an idea of his ability, during his junior year of high school he ran for 3,121 yards and 44 touchdowns. While at Michigan, he suffered three concussions as a freshman and had to compete in a loaded backfield under new head coach Rich Rodriguez. Now at Rice, McGuffie is set to be the focal point of the Owl's offensive attack and should be in store for a huge season in 2010.
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Robert Griffin III
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Robert Griffin III (QB, Baylor) - Griffin only played in three games in 2009 after suffering a torn ACL in Baylor's Week 3 matchup against Northwestern State. Baylor fans are hoping his knee can fully recover because prior to the injury Griffin was one of the most dynamic players in the country. Most scrambling quarterbacks struggle with their decision making and adapting to playing at a faster pace, not Griffin. He completes over 60 percent of his passes and has only thrown three interceptions in 336 career attempts, one in every 112 pass attempts. Griffin has legit 4.4 speed at the quarterback position and is one of the most exciting players in the nation. If he can come back from injury, Griffin can be one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12.
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(May 1) --
The NFL Draft is in the books and Sideline Scouting would like to thank our visitors for making this our most successful year to date.
We hope you enjoyed our coverage. Sideline Scouting will be back next year and better than ever. We have some big changes planned that we hope will make your visits here even more enjoyable.
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